Manuscript Editing

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Congratulations—you finished! Most aspiring novelists don’t, so you’re ahead of the pack. But are you ready to publish?

It’s hard to evaluate your own writing, just as it’s hard to catch your own typos. The brain fills in what it expects to see, so the eye can miss what’s on the page. I can see what’s not working in other people’s books, but I can’t always see it in my own. That’s why I get a lot of feedback on my writing, both in terms of the Big Picture (characters, story structure, etc.) and more granular editing and proofreading.

The levels of editing a manuscript may go through before publication include:

  • Developmental editing: Big-picture evaluation of manuscript to identify problems with story structure, characterization, narrative drive, setting, pacing, point of view, voice, etc.
  • Line editing: Looks at language use, consistency of style, syntax, sentence structure, and clarity. Iidentifies repetitive words or phrases, clichés, confusing passages, and rough transitions.
  • Copy editing: Checks for grammar, spelling, punctuation, verb tenses, typos, and discrepancies.
  • Proofreading: Can refer to comparing the formatted galley to the original manuscript for typos or formatting errors, or to a final read-through for errors.

I offer developmental editing alone or in combination with line and copy editing. Line and copy editing are offered in combination, as I can’t read a manuscript for style and syntax without catching grammatical errors, or read for grammar while ignoring problems with style. I do not offer proofreading services.

Services Offered

Developmental Edit: $0.0125/word
  • In-depth evaluation (at least five single-spaced pages) of all aspects of your book:
    • Are the characters people your reader will care about and root for? Are their motivations clear and their actions believable?
    • Will it grab your readers from the first page and sustain interest until the end?
    • Are the stakes high enough? Is there enough conflict?
    • Is the narrative voice clear and consistent? Is the dialogue realistic?
    • Is the setting clear and vivid? Is the point of view consistent?
  • Track Changes comments in the manuscript to illustrate points made in the analysis; I will indicate if there are problems with grammar, punctuation, etc., but will not flag every error as I would in a line/copy edit.
  • 45 minute phone or Zoom call to discuss feedback and next steps
Developmental Edit: Polish Till It Shines $0.0175/word
  • In-depth evaluation (see above), including in-line comments and 45 minute call
  • Time for you to revise based on comments and submit another draft
  • Evaluation and in-line comments of second draft, 30 minute call to discuss feedback
Line/copy edit $0.0125/word to $0.025/word based on sample edit
  • Summary of the type of issues found
  • Track Changes comments in the manuscript for:
    • errors in grammar, syntax, punctuation, spelling, and typos
    • discrepancies or inconsistencies within the manuscript
    • non-standard formatting
  • 30 minute phone or Zoom call to discuss feedback
  • Does not provide in-depth analysis of story structure, characterization, narrative drive, etc.
  • Because the extent of editing required by manuscripts differs widely, a quote for price per word will be provided based on a 1,000 word sample.
Developmental and line/copy edit: single pass $0.02/word to $0.0325/word based on sample edit
  • All services included in both the single pass developmental edit and line/copy edit, with a phone call of 60 minutes to discuss feedback
Developmental and line/copy edit: Polish Till It Shines $0.025/word to $0.0375/word based on sample edit
  • All services included in the Polish Till It Shines developmental edit and the line/copy edit
  • Full developmental and line/copy edit in each editorial pass
  • 60 minute phone call after the first round of feedback, 30 minute call after the second

No matter where you are in your writing journey, I offer a free sample edit of 1,000 words
and a 15 minute follow up Zoom call to see if we’re a good fit.

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